25 Foods That Start With X: Unique Dishes Fruits and Ingredients
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X might be one of the trickiest letters in an A-to-Z food challenge, but that does not mean the list has to stop there. Look beyond familiar English food names, and you will find plenty of possibilities across regional cuisines and languages around the world.
To make that search easier, we have gathered 25 examples of food that starts with X.
1. What Is a Food That Starts With X?
Yes, there are foods beginning with X, although they are much less common in English than foods starting with most other letters. One easy example of a food that starts with X is xigua, a Chinese word for watermelon.
So, what is a food that starts with X beyond xigua? Examples include fruits such as ximenia and xoconostle, dishes such as xiaolongbao and xôi, and ingredients such as XO sauce and xanthan gum.
If you’re wondering is there a food that starts with X because the letter seems unusually difficult, the reason is largely linguistic. X rarely appears at the beginning of native English words, so many foods on an X list retain names from Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Catalan, Mayan, and other languages.
2. Fruits and Plant Foods Starting With X
What is a food that starts with the letter X? Fruits provide several of the easiest examples to remember. Some are familiar foods under a different name, while others are regional fruits that may be difficult to find in a typical U.S. supermarket.
Xigua
Xigua is the Mandarin Chinese word for watermelon (西瓜, xīguā). Like other watermelons, it has a firm rind surrounding juicy flesh filled with naturally occurring sugars and water.
Origin/name: China
Taste: Sweet, juicy, and refreshing
How it’s eaten: Fresh, chilled, in fruit salads, or blended into drinks
Ximenia
Ximenia refers to fruits produced by plants in the Ximenia genus, including Ximenia americana, sometimes called yellow plum or wild plum. The plant grows across tropical regions in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia.
The small fruit can be yellow, orange, or reddish when ripe. Its flavor ranges from tart and acidic to mildly sweet depending on ripeness and variety.
Origin: Tropical and subtropical regions
Taste: Tart to sweet-tart
How it’s eaten: Fresh when ripe or processed into drinks, preserves, and other foods
Xoconostle
Xoconostle is a sour cactus fruit from Mexico and a relative of the sweeter prickly pear. It typically has pale flesh with seeds concentrated toward the center.
Its noticeably acidic flavor makes it particularly useful in savory cooking rather than as a conventional sweet fruit.
Origin: Mexico
Taste: Tart and acidic
How it’s eaten: Sauces, salsas, stews, soups, or occasionally raw
3. Main Dishes and Savory Foods That Begin With X
A food that starts with X does not have to be a fruit or unusual ingredient. Several established dishes from cuisines around the world retain names beginning with X when written in English.
Asian Dishes
Xiaolongbao
Xiaolongbao are Chinese steamed buns closely associated with Jiangnan cuisine, particularly Shanghai and the surrounding region. They are typically made with thin dough wrapped around a meat filling and gelatin-rich broth that melts into soup during steaming.
Origin: Jiangnan region, China
Key ingredients: Wheat dough, pork or other filling, broth
Taste: Savory, juicy, and rich
Xôi
Xôi is a Vietnamese dish made primarily from glutinous rice. Rather than referring to one fixed recipe, the name covers numerous sweet and savory preparations.
Savory versions may contain mung beans, chicken, pork, sausage, or fried shallots, while sweet varieties can incorporate coconut, beans, peanuts, or fruit.
Origin: Vietnam
Key ingredient: Glutinous rice
Taste: Varies from savory and rich to mildly or distinctly sweet
Xidoufen
Xidoufen is a pea-based dish associated with Yunnan in southwestern China. It has a thick, porridge-like consistency and is commonly seasoned and eaten with accompaniments such as flatbread.
Origin: Yunnan, China
Key ingredients: Peas, water, seasonings
Taste: Mild and savory, with flavor largely determined by its seasonings
Xia Mi
Xia mi (虾米) literally refers to dried shrimp in Chinese rather than one specific prepared dish. The small dried shrimp are used as a savory ingredient in stir-fries, rice dishes, dumpling fillings, soups, and other preparations.
Origin: Used across Chinese and other Asian cuisines
Key ingredient: Dried shrimp
Taste: Salty, savory, and strongly umami
Spanish and European Dishes
Xató
Xató is a traditional Catalan salad associated with coastal areas of Catalonia, Spain. It typically combines escarole with salted fish and a distinctive nut-based sauce containing ingredients such as almonds or hazelnuts, peppers, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
Origin: Catalonia, Spain
Key ingredients: Escarole, salted fish, nuts, peppers, olive oil
Taste: Savory, tangy, nutty, and slightly bitter
Xavier Soup
Xavier soup, sometimes called St. Francis Xavier soup, is traditionally associated with the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. Recipes commonly feature small dumplings served in a clear chicken broth, although preparations vary.
Origin: European Catholic culinary tradition
Key ingredients: Broth and small dumplings
Taste: Mild, savory, and comforting
African and Other Regional Savory Foods
Xacuti
Xacuti, commonly known through dishes such as chicken xacuti, is a curry associated with Goa on India’s western coast. It combines a complex spice mixture with ingredients that may include coconut, dried red chilies, poppy seeds, and aromatic spices.
Origin: Goa, India
Key ingredients: Meat, coconut, chilies, aromatic spices
Taste: Rich, spicy, aromatic, and complex
Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
Xinjiang lamb skewers are associated with Xinjiang and particularly Uyghur food traditions in northwestern China. Pieces of lamb are grilled over high heat and commonly seasoned with cumin, chili, salt, and other spices.
Origin: Xinjiang, China
Key ingredients: Lamb, cumin, chili, salt
Taste: Smoky, savory, spicy, and cumin-forward
Xouba
Xouba is the Galician name for small sardines, particularly young sardines, rather than a Middle Eastern or African dish. They are an important part of seafood cooking in Galicia in northwestern Spain and may be fried, grilled, baked, or used in traditional pies known as empanadas.
Origin: Galicia, Spain
Key ingredient: Small sardines
Taste: Rich, salty, and distinctly seafood-forward
>>> Read more: Foods That Start With C Worth Adding to Your List: 65 Picks and Counting
4. Sauces Spices and Ingredients That Start With X
Not every food that starts with X is a complete dish. Several X foods are sauces, spice blends, sweeteners, and cooking ingredients used to add flavor, texture, or structure to other recipes.
XO Sauce
XO sauce is a savory condiment that originated in Hong Kong. Despite its name, it does not typically contain XO cognac. The name instead references the prestige associated with XO cognac.
Traditional versions combine dried seafood such as scallops and shrimp with chili, garlic, shallots, and oil. The result is intensely savory, slightly spicy, and rich in umami. XO sauce can be served with noodles, rice, seafood, vegetables, or stir-fries.
Xnipec
Xnipec is a fresh salsa from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It commonly combines habanero peppers, tomato, onion, citrus juice, and cilantro.
The habanero gives xnipec considerable heat, while citrus adds acidity and freshness. It is commonly served with tacos, grilled meats, seafood, and other Yucatecan dishes.
Xawaash
Xawaash is an aromatic Somali spice blend used across a range of savory dishes. Recipes vary by household, but the blend can include cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.
Its warm, fragrant flavor works particularly well in rice, meat dishes, stews, and sauces.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is a food additive produced through the fermentation of sugars by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It functions primarily as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier.
You may find it in sauces, salad dressings, beverages, baked goods, and many packaged foods. It is also commonly used in gluten-free baking to help provide some of the structure normally supplied by gluten.
Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener in products such as sugar-free chewing gum, candies, baked goods, and oral-care products. It has a sweetness similar to sugar but contains fewer calories per gram.
(One important safety note: xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. Ingestion can cause serious effects in dogs, including a rapid drop in blood sugar)
Xampinyons en Salsa
Xampinyons en salsa means mushrooms in sauce in Catalan. Rather than one universally fixed recipe, preparations can feature mushrooms cooked with ingredients such as garlic, onion, herbs, wine, cream, or stock.
5. Desserts and Sweet Foods That Start With X
The sweeter side of the food that starts with X includes everything from an ancient cacao drink to Chinese-style desserts and a cream-filled Catalan pastry.
Xocolatl
Xocolatl is commonly associated with the historical cacao beverages of Mesoamerica and is often discussed as an ancestor of modern chocolate drinks. These early cacao preparations were quite different from today’s sweet hot chocolate and could incorporate ingredients such as water, ground cacao, and spices.
Origin: Mesoamerica
Main ingredient: Cacao
Taste: Traditionally bitter and cacao-forward rather than very sweet
Xi Gua Lao
Xi gua lao is a Chinese watermelon-based dessert associated with Beijing. Watermelon juice is thickened into a soft, jelly-like consistency and served chilled.
Its light texture and watermelon flavor make it particularly refreshing during warmer weather.
Origin: Beijing, China
Main ingredient: Watermelon
Taste: Light, fruity, and sweet
Xingren Doufu
Xingren doufu, often translated as almond tofu or almond jelly, is a soft Chinese dessert with a smooth, delicate texture. Despite the English name, traditional versions may use Chinese apricot kernels rather than conventional almonds.
It is commonly served chilled, sometimes with fruit or a light syrup.
Origin: China
Main ingredient: Traditionally apricot kernel milk, although modern recipes vary
Taste: Mild, sweet, and lightly nutty
Xuixo
Xuixo is a fried pastry from Girona in Catalonia, Spain. It consists of dough wrapped around crema catalana-style custard, fried until golden, and coated with sugar.
The contrast between its crisp exterior and creamy filling makes it one of the richer desserts on this list.
Origin: Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Main ingredients: Pastry dough, custard, sugar
Taste: Sweet, creamy, and rich
>>> Read more: 55+ Amazing Food That Starts With F
6. Easiest X Foods to Remember
With so many unfamiliar names, you probably may not be able to memorize all. You may remember them in simpler definitions, for example:
- Xigua: watermelon
- Xoconostle: sour Mexican cactus fruit
- Xiaolongbao: Chinese soup dumplings
- Xôi: Vietnamese sticky rice
- Xacuti: Goan curry
- XO sauce: savory Hong Kong condiment
- Xanthan gum: common thickener and stabilizer
- Xylitol: sugar-alcohol sweetener
- Xocolatl: cacao-based drink associated with Mesoamerica
- Xuixo: Catalan custard-filled pastry
For an alphabet game or quiz, xigua, xôi, XO sauce, and xylitol are among the simplest names to recall because each represents a clearly different type of food or ingredient.
7. Conclusion
Rather than one obvious food that starts with X, there are examples across cuisines from China and Vietnam to Mexico, India, Somalia, and Spain. That variety makes X difficult at first, but much more interesting once you know where to look.
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